Inside the Hermitage Museum - St Petersburg

The former state residence of the Russian emperors, the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg are one of the best places worth seeing while visiting this great city in Russia. Possibly the second best art collection after the Louvre in Paris, with over 120 rooms, the interiors are rich and detailed, artwork ranging from prehistoric to 20th century.

One of the largest and oldest museums, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. On display is only a small collection of more than three million works of art and artifacts of world culture. It has the largest collection of paintings in the world.

Watch this video for a tour Inside the Hermitage - Saint Petersburg.

Out of six buildings of the main museum complex, four, named the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage and New Hermitage, are partially open to the public. Entrance is free of charge the first Thursday of every month for all visitors and daily for students and children. Buy your tickets in advance to avoid long queues and collect at dedicated internet bookings booth just inside the gates. The museum is closed on Mondays.